


Together

by kittybenzedrine



Series: Timelines [9]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Magic, Near Death Experiences, Reconciliation, of sorts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-30 03:35:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12099834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittybenzedrine/pseuds/kittybenzedrine
Summary: Renegade hears word that Grief had nearly died, and makes a personal visit to see how he is._____All pieces of the Timelines series are standalones and can be read without context.





	Together

When Ren gets the news, her heart aches unexpectedly. They're 15 years and hundreds of miles apart, and it still makes her hurt. 15 years of only occasionally seeing him in passing and giving a nod hello, because that's all the kindness they can muster towards each other.

Stabbed in the chest, a messenger tells her. An old servant from Grief's home sent word, wanting her to know. Ren blinks off a sudden bout of tears, refusing to show weaknesses in front of her men.

He is alive, but barely. 

 

 

Without his veil of illusionist magic hiding his imperfections, Grief looks like hell. The first thing she notices is the nasty keloid scar developing over his heart. The smattering of scars on his torso are mostly old and silver, and four lines of pink clawmarks mare his face, but look like they'll heal and disappear soon.

His long mane of black hair has a few grays threaded into it, and the corners of his eyes have crows feet. The eye wrinkles become more evident when he cracks his eyes open and blurrily looks at her.

"When did you get here?" he asks, voice rough and thick with phlegm.

"Not too long ago," she replies, slowly making her way to the other side of the bed. She retrieves a glass of water from his nightstand and gives it to him. "Someone had sent word to me, told me the gist of what happened."

Ren helps him sit up, and he hisses in pain. Once relaxed back against the headboard, he drains the glass. He blinks hard, obviously exhausted.

"Better question," he starts, voice still think, then clears his throat and winces heavily. "Better question; _why_ are you here?" He brings a hand up to hold his left pectoral, avoiding the scar, and clears his throat again. He squeezes his eyes shut when he does it, and when he opens than back up, tears well in the corners of his eyes. She can't imagine how much it must hurt.

"I was told you may not survive, and to come as quickly as I could if I wanted to say my goodbyes. I assume it's been about six weeks since it happened, and you're not dead yet, so you've at least got that going for you."

"Still doesn't tell me why. Been 15 years since we parted ways, and yet here you are, fawning over me like a worried wife." He grunts and tries to shift back to laying.

She rolls her eyes and hooks an arm behind his back to help him lay back down. "Never did quite stop loving you. And it's not so wrong to want to see how you're doing, seeing as I spent around half of my life by your side."

Ren goes around to the side of the bed that used to be hers and sits next to him, carful not to jostle him. She runs her fingers though his hair, lightly scratching his scalp just way he likes. "So like I said, I only got the gist. What actually happened?"

He closes his eyes and lets out a content sigh, leaning into the touch. "Started out the way half of my life has gone. Balls deep in my lady friend, enjoying myself, helping her enjoy herself. Next thing I know there's a knife in my chest. She missed my heart by an inch. And she was stupid enough to not pull the knife out to let me bleed out." 

Grief stops for a moment, reaching up to scratch at the the long marks on his face. "Since I was already on top of her, I strangled her. She clawed me to try to get me to stop, but clearly that didn't work. That's where the marks on my face came from."

"Think you'll pull through okay?" Ren asks, scratching a little harder.

"Mm. I always do."

"Would you like me to stay for a while?"

He stays silent for a bit, merely relaxing and enjoying the good quality head scratchies that he hasn't gotten in 15 years. "Yes, actually. I would. But you have to keep all of your weapons across the room, out of your reach when I'm in here. Can't be sure they didn't send you to assassinate me either."

"Do you honestly think I'd kill you, Leo?"

"Can't be too sure of anyone now. Didn't think she'd try to do it."

"It'd be a cold day in hell if I even brought myself to actually try to kill you. I know I've tried before, but we both know that was when my mind wasn't right."

He stays silent for a moment, then changes the subject. "Hear you're a ruler of sorts," he murmurs, half asleep from the exhaustion of healing and half from her massaging his scalp. She continues to work her fingers through his hair, a small smile pulling at her face as she watches him start to drift off. " _Empress_."

"Mmhmm. I'll tell you all about it in a while. You just get some rest now."

**Author's Note:**

> Also I wasn't calling keloid scars nasty in the gross sense. I meant it more in a "ouch that looks brutal as hell" kind of way.
> 
> I have [my blog](http://iwillpooponthefloor.tumblr.com) on tumblr, if you'd like to check that out.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
